Jump to: navigation, search A mattress pad, mattress topper, or underpad is designed to lie atop a mattress. Made primarily from foam, its function is to provide a layer of comfort and warmth between the user and the mattress. It is of particular benefit when the existing mattress is worn or uncomfortable. Toppers quite often have a contoured profile to facilitate airflow. Visco-elastic foam toppers are regularly used in medical institutions because of their pressure relieving properties. The foam used in the construction of these memory foam toppers reacts to both pressure and temperature. This, combined with its greater density, are properties that give them their characteristic "weightlessness" sensation. An electric mattress pad is made of heavy fabric with heating filaments woven into it. In the UK and Commonwealth countries this is called an "electric blanket". Sleep Ridiculously Well – Mattresses GuideHeated mattress pads don’t only keep you warm during the winter, they also offer several health benefits.
Most people already know that putting a nice heating pad on any area of their body that’s sore can greatly reduce pain. People with chronic muscle pain can think of a heated mattress pad as a giant heating pad. Since they put their entire body weight on the pad, the heat can effectively penetrate sore muscles. Lying on a heated mattress pad also requires no effort from the user, unlike a heating pad, which may force the user to manually hold it in place or apply pressure. People who suffer from fibromyalgia have reported a drastic decrease in the severity of their symptoms after sleeping on a heated mattress pad. Their warmth can relax muscle tissues, and reduce the occurrence of painful spasms that people with fibromyalgia experience. Heat can also increase blood flow throughout the body, and circulation is very important for several reasons. One surprising reason is to manage one’s ability to handle stress. In addition, heated mattress pads can help you save money in the long run on climate control in your home.
It’s far more efficient to sleep on a heated mattress pad during the winter, than heat the whole house. Ideally, you’ll keep your heated mattress pad for years to come, but you may not always have the same bed, and you may want to bring the pad with you when you travel. To accommodate different sizes of beds or extra thick mattress, get a pad with an expandable skirt. For extra comfort, look for one with micro plush fabric that feels extremely soft on your skin. If your regular mattress has an ultra slick surface, get a heated mattress pad with a non-slip bottom so you don’t slide around at night. Many people worry about sleeping on anything electric. If this is a concern of yours, you can buy a pad with safe, low-voltage technology since these eliminate your chances of electric shock. For added safety, some heated mattress pads automatically shut off after ten hours of use, so you can’t accidentally leave one on for days at a time. Since the weather doesn’t hold the same temperature all year round, you probably won’t want your mattress pad to either.
Many have several personalized heat settings, so you can adjust them to your comfort. It's also important to know why you have certain sleeping habits and how to change them if needed. If you have a partner, there is research that shows that adjusting to common sleeping habit may lead to a happier relationship in the long term. If you sleep with another person and have completely different sleep requirements and habits, you may be able to use a combination of an adjustable bed and a mattress pad with dual controls to make you both happy. This way you can both tailor the angle and temperature of your side of the bed, without disturbing the other person. On the topic of things cohabitating couples argue about, laundry is a major one. Make it easier on yourself and your partner by getting a heated mattress pad that can go in the washing machine for simple cleaning. If you know firsthand about the consequences of sleep deprivation, then you are probably constantly looking for ways to get a better night’s rest.
The answer could be in how you decorate your room. First, to get the most out of your heated mattress pad, you need the right base mattress. You might wake up constantly because your partner's movement makes the entire mattress bounce, which disrupts your sleep. A memory foam mattress can eliminate any bouncing, so when your partner moves, you don’t even feel it. Darkness is key to a good night’s rest, too. But in an age where shelves are covered with the blinking lights of gaming systems and routers, it can be hard to make your room entirely dark. Consider housing entertainment systems inside of armoires, so you can close the cabinet doors at night and block out any lights. One reason people feel restless at night is because they don’t get enough sunlight during the day, throwing off their internal clock. Adding a light therapy lamp to your desk or nightstand can help reset your clock. Temperature plays a big part in your comfort at night, too. In fact, sleep experts have found that there is even an ideal temperature to sleep at.
For most, that is somewhere between 65 and 72 degrees Fahrenheit. When the temperature in the room varies just a few degrees, it can activate systems in your body that want to counteract the temperature change. These systems can keep you awake. Adding a heated mattress pad or small portable heater to your room can help you achieve the perfect sleeping temperature, especially on cold winter nights. In the U.S and Canada, an electric blanket is a blanket with an integrated electrical heating device usually placed above the top bed sheet. In the U.K and Commonwealth, electric blanket commonly refers to an electric under the blanket (electric mattress pad), which is placed below the bottom bed sheet. Electric blankets usually have a control unit which adjusts the amount of heat the blanket produces. Blankets for larger sized beds often have separate controls for each side of the bed. The electric blanket may be used to pre-heat the bed before use or to keep the occupant warm while in bed.
Some modern "low voltage" electric blankets have thin carbon fiber wires and work on 12–24 volts. The first electric blanket was invented in 1912 by American inventor Samuel Irwin Russell. This earliest form of an electric blanket was an ‘underblanket’ under the bed that covered and heated from below. There is some dispute about when the first electric over blankets were introduced. The first recorded publication of such a unit was in 1930 by Samson United Corporation.[1] However, others claim it was later in 1937 that electric 'over blankets', which lie on top of the sleeping person, were introduced in the United States. Much like heating pads, electric blankets use an insulated wire or heating element inserted into a fabric that heats when it is plugged in. The temperature control unit, located between the blanket and the electrical outlet, manages the amount of current entering into the heat elements in the blanket. Some modern electric blankets use carbon fiber wires to heat the user.
These wires are far less bulky and conspicuous than older heating wires. Carbon fiber wires are also used as the heating element in many high-end heated car seats. Blankets can be purchased with rheostats that regulate the heat by managing body heat and blanket temperatures, ensuring a comfortable experience. Newer electric blankets have a shutoff mechanism to prevent the blanket from overheating or catching fire. Older blankets (prior to about 2001) may not have a shut-off mechanism; users run the risk of overheating. Older blankets are considered fire hazards. Some electric blankets work on a low voltage of 12 to 24 volts, including those which plug into ordinary household electrical outlets; in the US, such blankets are sold by Soft Heat, Serta, and Select Comfort.[3] Such blankets also include 12-volt blankets designed for in-car use; they tend to shut off automatically every 45 minutes or so. Old or damaged blankets concern fire safety officials internationally. The use of such blankets is of concern due to the combination of heat, electricity, the abundance of flammable bedding material, and a sleeping occupant.